Effectiveness of distribution of multimicronutrient supplements in children and in women and adolescent girls of childbearing age in Chiclayo, Peru.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to better understand the coverage of scaled-up multimicronutrient supplementation programs. OBJECTIVE: The coverage of the distribution of multimicronutrient supplements in 26 urban communities among women and adolescent girls 12 through 44 years of age and children under 5 years of age was evaluated for purposes of scaling-up. METHODS: Formative research and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the distribution of supplements. RESULTS: Despite a delayed memorandum of understanding with the health sector and delayed delivery by the producer of the supplement, a high coverage rate of supplement distribution to the children (88% on average during the 3 months of supplementation) was still achieved as a result of the strong commitment of the community and the Integrated Food Security Program. The lower coverage rate among women and adolescent girls (47% on average) was the result of too short a period of enrollment in the program. There was no decrease of coverage during the 3 months of supplementation in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Effective, sustainable, large-scale micronutrient supplementation programs require broad partnerships with commitments of governmental and nongovernmental organizations, communities, and the private sector. Availability of the supplements and communication materials must be secured well ahead of the supplementation campaign and distribution of the supplement.

Effectiveness of the communication program on compliance in a weekly multimicronutrient supplementation program in Chiclayo, Peru.

BACKGROUND: Compliance with daily micronutrient supplementation is usually poor and the question arises whether compliance with a weekly regimen would be better. OBJECTIVES: The inputs (messages and channels), output (increase of knowledge), and outcome (behavior changes) ofa communication campaign in a micronutrient supplementation program for women and adolescent girls 12 through 44 years of age and children under 5 years of age (primary audience) were analyzed. METHODS: The communication program addressed not only the primary, but also the secondary (facilitators) and tertiary audiences. Formative research and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the communication campaign. RESULTS: Nearly all women and adolescent girls (89%) and children (91%) took at least 75% of the supplements over the 3-month period. The incidence rates of reported negative side effects of supplementation in children and in women and adolescent girls were less than 10%. Knowledge of micronutrient nutrition among facilitators of all ages and education levels increased significantly (p <.001). CONCLUSION: . A thoroughly planned and implemented nutrition communication program can secure high compliance of the beneficiaries of micronutrient supplementation programs. The necessary supplies should be available at least 3 months before program implementation. With an adequate communication program, supplementation programs can be used to foster food-based approaches for the target audience.